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Biomedical subjects

S Landesman

Publications and source records attributed to S Landesman.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Cigarette smoking, premature rupture of membranes, and vertical transmission of HIV-1 among women with low CD4+ levels.

To examine the possible influence of obstetric factors, substance use during pregnancy, and other maternal factors on the relationship between a low maternal CD4+ level and vertical transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), data were analyzed from the Mothers and Infants Cohort Study, a prospective cohort followed for up to 4 years between 1986 and 1992 in Brooklyn and the Bronx, New York. The overall transmission rate for the cohort was 25.1% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 19.0-31.3). Prenatal CD4+ lymphocyte measurements were available for 162 HIV-seropositive mothers of infants with known infection outcomes. Among mothers who smoked cigarettes after the first trimester, those whose mean prenatal CD4+ level was < 20% had more than a threefold increased risk of transmitting their infection to their infants [relative risk (RR) = 3.30; 95% CI = 1.46-7.44; p = 0.004]. Among mothers who developed premature rupture of membranes, those with a low CD4+ level had a similarly increased risk of vertical transmission (RR = 4.33; 95% CI = 1.78-10.5; p = 0.003). These relative risks were much higher than those for mothers who did not smoke after the first trimester (RR = 1.14; 95% CI = 0.48-2.70; p = 0.76) or have premature rupture of membranes (RR = 1.29; 95% CI = 0.61-2.74; p = 0.50), indicating that these factors modified the effect of CD4+ level on transmission. Among all mothers without regard to CD4+ level, those who experienced preterm premature rupture of membranes were also at greater risk of transmission (RR = 2.24; 95% CI = 1.07-4.69; p = 0.03).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The dual epidemics of tuberculosis and AIDS: ethical and policy issues in screening and treatment.

As the recent increase in cases of tuberculosis is addressed, there is a danger that the need for increased protection of the public health will create a climate in which the rights of individuals with tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection may be disregarded. This paper considers ethical and policy issues in the control of tuberculosis. The authors conclude that mandatory HIV testing is not critical to effective tuberculosis control, and that although individuals infected with HIV are at increased risk for developing tuberculosis, exclusionary employment practices are not justified. Because failure to complete the course of tuberculosis treatment increases the prospect that drug-resistant strains will develop, it is crucial to require all those who commence treatment to complete their therapy. To ensure the completion of treatment, special attention must be paid to the needs of the homeless, drug users, and those with psychiatric impairments. In addition, all tuberculosis patients should begin their posthospital care under direct observation. Patients who fail to complete treatment despite efforts to encourage and facilitate their cooperation should be subject to confinement after a hearing with full due process protections.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed1992

Vertical transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Reactivity of maternal sera with glycoprotein 120 and 41 peptides from HIV type 1.

The observation that approximately 70% of HIV-infected pregnant women do not transmit infection vertically suggests that antibody therapy may be effective in the prevention of transmission of HIV infection from mother to child. Currently, there is an incomplete understanding of the processes involved in vertical transmission of HIV infection. The elucidation of the serological basis of maternal immunity as it relates to protection from vertical transmission is the goal of this study. We have screened 20 maternal sera from HIV+ individuals of known vertical transmission status for reactivity with 31 peptides spanning the entire envelope glycoprotein of HIV-1. Of interest was reactivity to regions outside of the V3 loop of gp120. The findings have been examined in relationship to transmission status, as well as to in vitro anti-HIV-1 biological activity. Our results indicate that lack of vertical transmission is correlated with high viral neutralization activity, but not with antisyncytial activity nor with binding to the V3 peptides examined in this study. Also, the transmission group bound to fewer gp41 peptides when compared with the nontransmission group, suggesting that immune responses to gp41 may be important in preventing transmission. These findings may provide insights into the design of passive immunotherapies.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

The impact of human immunodeficiency virus serostatus on reproductive decisions of women.

Each year in the United States, several thousand women infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) become pregnant. The scope of the pediatric HIV epidemic will be determined by the reproductive decisions of these women. Although initial studies have not documented an effect of serostatus on reproductive choice, these studies have been limited to single-risk groups (eg, drug users) and have had small numbers of participants. We studied 108 HIV-seronegative women and 98 seropositive women through an index pregnancy and for an average of 1.5 years postpartum. Thirty-four of the seronegative women (31%) and 32 of the seropositive women (33%) learned their serostatus early enough in pregnancy to have the option to undergo abortion. One of the 34 seronegative women (2.9%) and six of the 32 seropositive women (18.8%) chose abortion (P less than .05). During follow-up, we found no significant differences in the numbers of pregnancies or live births between seropositive and seronegative women, or between drug-using and non-drug-using women. Among those who developed AIDS (N = 10), no live births occurred during followup. Although positive HIV status did correlate with the decision to terminate pregnancies, it did not correlate with subsequent fertility.

Abortion, Legal↗
PubMed1991

Clinical utility of HIV-IgA immunoblot assay in the early diagnosis of perinatal HIV infection.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, and clinical use of a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-IgA immunoblot assay for diagnosing perinatal HIV infection in infants tested at birth to 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months of age. DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal cohort study of children born to HIV-infected and noninfected women. The HIV-IgA immunoblot assays were performed at birth to 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months of age and compared with the Centers for Disease Control's classification system of HIV infection in the children. Children were followed up for at least 15 months to ensure accuracy of infection status. SETTING: Municipal hospital in central Brooklyn, NY, where the prevalence of HIV infection is high. PATIENTS: Serum samples from 58 children, 22 with documented HIV infection, 18 noninfected children born to seropositive women, and 18 children born to noninfected women, were studied. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Diagnosis of HIV infection using the Centers for Disease Control's classification scheme was compared with diagnosis using the HIV-IgA immunoblot assay for children 6 months of age or younger. RESULTS: The HIV-IgA immunoblot assay yielded negative results at 3 and 6 months of age for all 18 infants born to seronegative women; for the 18 seroreverting, noninfected children born to infected women, the assay yielded negative results at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months of age. The positive predictive value of the assay was 100%--no false-positive results were identified in the 88 serum samples obtained from noninfected infants. For the HIV-infected children, sensitivity was a function of age: one (5.9%) of 17 infants had an assay that yielded positive results at birth to 1 month of age, 13 (62%) of 21 infants had assays that yielded positive results at 3 months of age, and 17 (77%) of 22 infants had assays that yielded positive results at 6 months of age. The presence or absence of symptoms did not affect the sensitivity. CONCLUSION: The HIV-IgA immunoblot assay can detect a significant proportion of infected children during an early asymptomatic period of their life. This relatively inexpensive, easily standardized assay may allow for institution of therapy before the onset of clinical symptoms.

Female↗
PubMed1991

Ditiocarb sodium (diethyldithiocarbamate) therapy in patients with symptomatic HIV infection and AIDS. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study.

We randomized 389 symptomatic patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection to ditiocarb sodium (400 mg/m2 orally for 24 weeks) or a placebo. Patients were well balanced according to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) group, CD4+ cell number, and duration of disease prior to entry. Ten new acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining opportunistic infections occurred in the treated patients and 21 in the controls. Reduction of new opportunistic infections in the ditiocarb group was significant in all patients (relative risk [RR], 0.44) and in patients with AIDS (CDC groups IV-C1 and IV-D) (RR, 0.12). The size of the effect of ditiocarb was maintained when data were reanalyzed after exclusion of a patient who progressed to Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia who was not strictly CDC-defined (RR, 0.46), or when considering as new opportunistic infections three events, which were clinically active at entry, but for which the definitive diagnosis was made during study (RR, 0.49). The administration of ditiocarb did not induce any major adverse clinical or biological reactions. We conclude that, in this study, ditiocarb was safe and reduced the incidence of opportunistic infections in patients with symptomatic HIV infection.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

Sexually transmitted diseases and human immunodeficiency virus infection among women with pelvic inflammatory disease.

Both human immunodeficiency virus infections and pelvic inflammatory diseases are sexually acquired illnesses of great consequence to women. This study was undertaken to determine if women hospitalized with pelvic inflammatory disease, in a community endemic for human immunodeficiency virus, were at high risk to be infected with human immunodeficiency virus and if human immunodeficiency virus infections altered their hospital course. One hundred ten women hospitalized with pelvic inflammatory disease in Brooklyn (in a hospital in which 2% of parturients are human immunodeficiency virus seropositive) agreed to human immunodeficiency virus testing; 15 (13.6%) were found to be seropositive. Seropositive women were significantly more likely to have an admission white blood cell count less than 10,000/mm3 (p = 0.001). Human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity was not associated with a higher frequency of other sexually transmitted diseases although there was a trend toward more cases of syphilis among human immunodeficiency virus-infected women. Similarly, although there was no significant difference in rates of operative intervention (26.6% among seropositive and 8.4% among seronegative; p = 0.058), there was a trend toward more surgery among those who were human immunodeficiency virus infected. Women hospitalized with pelvic inflammatory disease, in a community endemic for human immunodeficiency virus, are at high risk for human immunodeficiency virus infection. More research is needed to verify a trend toward more refractory infections among human immunodeficiency virus-infected women.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Immunosuppression in pregnant women infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

One hundred two pregnant women at high risk of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (62 who were drug abusers and 40 of Haitian origin) were prospectively examined for immunologic changes during and after pregnancy. Among the 63 human immunodeficiency virus-negative women, levels of CD4+ (helper) cells fell to a nadir at 8 weeks before delivery and rose rapidly just before delivery. The level of CD8+ (cytotoxic/suppressor) cells rose slowly from midpregnancy to delivery. Among the 37 human immunodeficiency virus-positive pregnant women, levels of CD4+ cells fell during pregnancy (except for a transient weak increase just before delivery) and did not recover in the postpartum period. Levels of CD8+ cells were consistently higher in human immunodeficiency virus-positive than human immunodeficiency virus-negative women. Post partum the CD8+ cells in human immunodeficiency virus-negative women stabilized at delivery levels, whereas they increased greatly in human immunodeficiency virus-positive women. The loss of CD4+ cells in human immunodeficiency virus-positive women appeared to be faster during pregnancy than in the postpartum period. These data support the hypothesis that pregnancy may accelerate human immunodeficiency virus-induced depletion of CD4+ cells and increase the risk of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Heterosexual HIV transmission.

Heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in New York City is principally a phenomenon of the urban inner city, where a large number of infected current or former drug addicts live in close social and sexual contact with inner-city women. These women are at high risk for sexual acquisition of HIV. Evidence of heterosexual transmission is already apparent in the high levels of infection in STD (sexually transmitted disease) clinics and has been noted in a New York State Department of Health study showing that 1 of every 61 women who gave birth in New York City was infected. This problem will increase and will be associated with the derivative problems of pediatric acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Intense targeted counseling, education, and voluntary testing of inner-city populations, combined with additional drug treatment resources, are essential if the rate of heterosexual transmission is to be decreased.

Female↗
PubMed1989

Developmental psychology and mental retardation. Integrating scientific principles with treatment practices.

The current debates about "best practices" within mental retardation reflect key unresolved issues about the nature of mental retardation and the goals of treatment programs. The central axiom proposed is that better integration of basic principles about human development with treatment practices for children will yield substantial benefits to individuals and society. To illustrate the format for this proposed integration, three principles have been abstracted from scientific inquiry in human development: (a) targeted environmental prevention, (b) metacognitive conveyance, and (c) ecological dominion. A contextual analysis, using special education as an example of a major treatment setting, indicates that application of these developmental principles is likely to reduce the prevalence of mild retardation (as currently defined), to minimize social and behavioral problems, and to foster improved levels of environmental mastery (adaptive success) for many children with low IQs and cognitive deficiencies. Consistent with these developmental principles, the current construct of mental retardation is judged inadequate, and an alternative diagnostic strategy is proposed. This strategy is based on repeated developmental profiling of a child and his or her biosocial environmental history.

Child↗
PubMed1989

"My family and friends": six- to twelve-year-old children's perceptions of social support.

A psychometrically sound instrument is essential for the study of children's subjective impressions about social support. To evaluate such an instrument, 249 children, 6-12 years old, from a population-based sample of black and white families (50% single mothers, 50% two parents) were studied. The newly developed instrument, "My Family and Friends," consists of 12 dialogues, based on Vygotskian principles, and yields information about (a) children's perceptions of the availability of individuals in their networks to provide different types of social support and (b) their satisfaction with the help they receive. Children collaborate in interactive dialogues and manipulate personalized props. Collectively, the data indicate that subjective impressions about social support can be measured in a reliable and valid manner from early childhood through adolescence, and that children understand and care about the quality and the differentiation of support (i.e., emotional, informational, instrumental, and companionship) within their social support networks. Further, children report significant variations in social support when undergoing major family upheaval.

Audiovisual Aids↗
PubMed1987

Serosurvey of human immunodeficiency virus infection in parturients. Implications for human immunodeficiency virus testing programs of pregnant women.

Although perinatal transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is well documented, seroprevalence rates of HIV in populations of women of reproductive age have not yet been reported. To determine the seroprevalence of HIV in childbearing women from a population with a high incidence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, cord blood samples were collected from 602 infants delivered at an inner-city municipal hospital in New York. Demographic and HIV risk factor information was also collected from mothers of these infants. Twelve (2%) of 602 samples (95% confidence interval, 1% to 4%) were positive for HIV on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis. In interviews, seven of 12 seropositive women had risk factors as defined by the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta; the remaining five seropositive women had no self-identified risk factors. The HIV seroprevalence rate in our hospital (2.0%) is several times higher than that of many other diseases for which screening is already routine. This serosurvey indicates that HIV infection of inner-city parturients is a significant problem that warrants broadly implemented health strategies. Furthermore, the data also suggest that if risk factor information elicited by physicians is used to initiate HIV antibody counseling and testing of pregnant women, a significant number of seropositive parturients is missed. In areas with significant seroprevalence rates of HIV infection, a broader counseling and testing program may be needed.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay↗
PubMed1986

Serological characterization of HTLV-III infection in AIDS and related disorders.

Current efforts to test blood donors and other persons for exposure to the human T cell lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III), the etiologic agent of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), are based on the measurement of serum antibodies to viral antigens. We studied presence of serum antibodies to HTLV-III-related antigens from 767 individuals with AIDS or AIDS-related complex (ARC) or asymptomatic persons at risk for AIDS by using ELISA and immunoblot techniques. Of the 280 specimens from AIDS and ARC subjects that were tested, 99% were ELISA reactive and 96% were immunoblot reactive. Greater than 96% of the seropositive subjects manifested antibodies to the p24 core antigen, whereas only 88% had antibodies to the gp41 envelope-related glycoprotein. Contrary to previous reports, a short incubation time in the immunoblot assay failed to detect low-titer or low-affinity antibodies that were detected by overnight incubation. There was no apparent difference in pattern of antibodies to HTLV-III-related antigens in symptomatic vs. asymptomatic seropositive individuals.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗